Student Research

Why research?

The bedrock of science is experimentation and observation. Research cannot be taught;
it must be done. Undergraduate student research is an important link between the classroom
and graduate school research and is a key ingredient in the training of scientists.

Undergraduate student research under the supervision of a chemistry professor allows
students to work on real scientific problems. Students experience the difficulties
of devising and performing experiments to probe the unknown. They are given the opportunity
to taste the thrill of discovery and to share their work through presentations at
the American Chemical Society, the Tennessee Academy of Science, the APSU Research
Forum, and similar meetings of scientists.

Students presenters at the Chemistry Department's 2017 Spring Undergraduate Research
Symposium.

Chemistry Research Classes

Chemistry 2940: Introduction to Research- Lecture

Prerequisite: permission of instructor, 1 credit hour, meets 1 hr/wk

Description: Theory of experimental design including methods, techniques, and information
resources (library, on-line, etc.) typically used to conduct laboratory research.
Ethics and professional behavior of researchers. Not a co-requisite for CHEM 2941.

Chemistry 2941: Introduction to Research- Laboratory

Prerequisite: permission of instructor, 1 credit hour, meets 3 hrs/wk

Description: Experiment design including methods, proper lab conduct, record-keeping,
ethics, chemical safety and waste disposal, techniques, and information resources
in a specialized area. Progress or completion of a laboratory research project under
the guidance of chemistry faculty and presentation of work is expected. Not co-requisite
for CHEM 2940. May be repeated one semester.

Chemistry 4941: Elements of Research

Description: Independent original research on individual projects; chemical literature
review and presentation of results. May be repeated until project is completed; however,
approval of department chair is required for more than eight hours.

Chemistry 4990: Research Thesis

Prerequisite: CHEM 4940 and permission of instructor, 1 credit hour

Description: Preparation of a thesis and oral presentation of original research. Thesis must follow
the guidelines of the ACS Style Guide and the Chemistry Department, and will be evaluated
by a committee which will include the department chair or his/her degree.

Current Research Topics

Some of the current research topics or areas are briefly described below. For more
information visit the homepage of the instructor or contact the instructor via the
e-mail address provided.

Dr. Raj DakshinamurthyProtein biochemistry and gold nanoparticles capped with a range of molecules like
carbohydrates, dyes and drugs using our green, single step technology for various
biological applications. He is also interested in biological nanotechnology, drug
delivery, protein structure, function, interaction, development of new strategies
to produce biopharmaceuticals, and bioanalytical chemistry.

Dr. Leslie HiattHer group is working to develop an assay for the detection of nicotine in complex
e-cigarette samples using electrochemistry and colorimetry. This assay could be used
commercially to help small stores demonstrate the quality of their product. They are
also using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography with nicotine
calibration curves to quantitatively analyze the quality control of electronic cigarettes.
In conjunction with Dr. Mann, they are also working to synthesize new carotenoids
with fast electron transfer properties. After these new compounds are made, instrumental
analysis on these products will be performed, to see if these new molecules could
be incorporated into electrochromic devices as a faster and more energy efficient
technology.

Dr. Anuradha PathiranageShe is interested in extraction, isolation and characterization of compounds from
medicinal plants. Her group is working on extracting compounds from cinnamon bark
using distillation and chromatography techniques. Then they will characterize isolated
compounds using NMR and IR instruments.

Dr. Robin ReedHis research interests are in protein kinases and proteins that may bind to specific
kinases in the cell. These enzymes catalyze the transfer of the g-phosphate from ATP
to specific serine, threonine or tyrosine residues of target proteins. Of particular
interest are the cyclic-nucleotide dependent protein kinases, PKA and PKG, and their
involvement in signal transduction pathways. One technique used to isolate proteins
that bind to PKA or PKG is cAMP-agarose chromatography. Student researchers in his
lab have recently verified that one such cAMP-agarose binding protein is the Nucleoside
Diphosphate Kinase (NDPK) that is responsible for shifting phosphate groups among
various phosphorylated forms of the nucleotides. His group is now trying to determine
the number of subunits it has in its natural complex state. They are using Western
blotting, column chromatography and native gel electrophoresis to accomplish this
goal.

Dr. Marcia SchillingShe is interested in a cross disciplinary approach to environmental remediation. The
long-term goals are to develop methods of returning wastes to their original environmental
niche or finding useful new applications for waste materials. She is currently developing
a proteomics pipeline to indicate distinctions in protein profiles of closely related
biological samples. In doing so, she hopes this strategy can be used in sentinel organisms
to detect areas in need of soil remediation after chemical contamination, as well
as providing supporting mass spectrometry data for colleagues in departments across
the APSU campus.

Dr. Lisa SullivanHer group is investigating a low temperature synthesis of zirconium tungstate (ZrW2O8) which shows isotropic negative thermal expansion. Prepared nano-particulate ZrW2O8 will be incorporated into a polymer thin film to give a composite material that has
controllable thermal expansion. They are also investigating a novel synthetic preparation
of nanoparticulate silver and studying the antimicrobial efficacy of prepared samples.

Dr. Will WardHe is interested in energy storage in chemical bonds in support of renewable energy
sources such as solar and wind energy that are intermittent in nature. Specifically,
he is researching electro-catalytic reduction of small molecules, especially carbon
dioxide, using zinc hydride complexes. Projects include synthesis of organic cage
ligands and zinc complexes, investigation of the electronic and catalytic properties
and trends of these ligands, calculation of the hydricity of these complexes using
experimental data and thermodynamic cycles, and investigation of small molecule binding,
activation and reactivity with the zinc complexes. His group is currently synthesizing
ligands and zinc transition metal complexes to be tested as electro-catalysts and/or
photo-catalysts for CO2 reduction.

Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Summer is an excellent time to do research. Summer REU's can be applied toward your
APSU chemistry degree. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds many research
opportunities at schools across the United States. To find NSF funded REUs that you
can apply for, check out this link: NSF REUs. Contact any chemistry faculty for more information about applying to these programs.

Undergraduate Research Enrichment Funds Program

The Undergraduate Research Enrichment Funds have replaced the Presidential Research
Scholars and Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programs. The UREF Program provides
up to $3000 to student-faculty teams in support of scholarly and creative activity.
Funds can be used to support project-related expenses (equipment, supplies, etc.),
student stipend and/or travel, and up to $500 in professional development funds for
the faculty mentor. Contact our department chair or chemistry faculty for more information.